Foals at the Brighton Centre: Gig review

Foals’ performance at The Brighton Centre on Wednesday (April 27) was an important reminder in the brilliance of the live musical performance, something which many bands had forgotten to remind their audiences since returning to the stage in late 2021.

The Oxford three-piece are preparing to release their seventh studio album - LIFE is YOURS - and are in the midst of a major arena tour. A challenging stage for many artists as they strive to connect with a larger audience, without losing their authentic charm.

Despite the bands rapid growth in popularity since their debut LP, The Brighton Centre venue was far from a sell-out, with only small pockets of people scattered around the arena for the support band Goat Girl.

Unfortunately, their psychedelic indie was drab and lifeless, with the five-piece failing to draw in a crowd. Instead, punters preferred to spend their time chatting and drinking at the bar or gazing at the merch stand.

However, by the time Foals took to the stage the venue had filled nicely, and anticipation was high for a band known for putting on a gripping live show.

Opening with the snappy Wake Me Up, the first single off the new album, the lead singer Yannis Philippakis was framed between two beams of LED lights, which were proliferated with blue and white flowers, presenting a joyous aesthetic to the crowd.

The new single was met with a surprisingly limp reaction from the audience, but the Runner sent shocks of electricity through the venue when it’s moody guitar riff fired into all four corners of the room and brought the space to life.

“It’s good to be back”, Yannis tells the crowd, and his sentiment seems genuine as the emotive Mountain at My Gates gains the attention of everyone within the room.

Olympic Airways is a staple of the band’s live performance, and the dream-like sound matched the mystic yellow lighting perfectly. The tune flows nicely off the back of Mountain at My Gates, as the audience got warmer and warmer with each passing song.

Then, the toe-tapping ear worm My Number had the whole dance floor jumping from front to back. It may have taken longer than expected, but Foals had officially arrived by the last chorus of this their most well-known song.

After this high, Black Gold follows and understandably struggles to match the enthusiasm of the previous tunes and new singles 2AM and Life is Yours act as a energy-vacuum for the crowd.

However, the band’s experience enables them to keep the audience on side with the popular In Degrees and unreleased 2001. The latter carries a connective charm when Yannis tells the crowd that the song was written about the band's time living in the seaside city at the start of the 21st century.

One of Foals’ most endearing qualities is their ability to blend measured, delicate psychedelic ballads with upbeat indie floor fillers. And their softer side is exhibited in the next two tunes - Late Night and Spanish Sahara.

Spanish Sahara is for many fans the best song in Foals’ repertoire, and the band recognise this with a near-perfect rendition of the near seven-minute piece of art. The background has flowing images of a deep blue ocean, and the stage smoke machines resemble wisps of sea air, as the band transport the audience to a place where they can, as the songs says, ‘forget the horror’.

This tranquil dreamland is broken by the earthy Providence, it’s action-packed sound resembling a out-of-control pinball machine, as large pockets of mosh pits begin to form on the dance floor.

These pockets become craters by the time Inhaler hits, with the metallic riffs and grunge vocals turning the crowd feral with passion. Few live experiences compare to when Foals play Inhaler, it’s a band and audience favourite that never fails to deliver anything other than healthy gig carnage.

It acts as a perfect bridge from the main set to the encore, as the crowd are left hungry for more - and Foals are more than happy to oblige.

Black Bull, What Went Down and Two Steps Twice all grow from the same Foals song tree – being loud, hard-hitting, in-your face anthems which have no room for subtlety. It’s the ideal encore, and by the time the final chorus of Two Steps Twice plays, everyone from the front row to the seats at the back were up and dancing along with Yannis and Co.

If there was ever a band who appreciated the power of live music, it was Foals. They know what emotions to draw from the audience and when and how to do it. The show was not perfect, but then the best gigs never are.

When leaving the Brighton Centre that night, it was hard to feel anything other than grateful for the return of live music - because of fun, stirring shows like this one.

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